Edgartown

The holidays are now in full swing, what with the turkey day leftovers tossed aside for ribbon and holly and twinkling lights. This weekend, we will eat cookies and candy canes and watch Santa ride down Main Street and light the first candles on the menorah. We will gather and laugh with family and friends, and select a few thoughtful gifts for those we love. And with Christmas in Edgartown upon us, craft fairs and charity raffles will be in abundance to aid us in this quest.

Christmas in Edgartown, sponsored by the Board of Trade, begins Friday, Dec. 7, with the lighting of the Edgartown Lighthouse, then continuing with events all weekend long. Throughout the weekend, Edgartown businesses and organizations will offer an abundance of festivities, including open houses, displays, horse and carriage rides, workshops, and holiday shopping. The Holiday Parade, trailed by Santa himself, begins at 11 am. So grab the kids and come on down. For a full schedule of events, visit edgartownboardoftrade.com.

Among the Christmas in Edgartown events, the United Methodist Church of Martha’s Vineyard is sponsoring a display of Christmas crèches in the Baylies Room at the Whaling Church Saturday, December 12th, from 10 am to 2 pm. The crèches range in style from tradition figures hand carved from Jerusalem olive wood, to revolving German pyramids and modern ceramic figures and in size from one inch to two feet. There will be activities for kids, including an opportunity to make their own crèche figures, play with a set of nesting crèche figures, or add pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. For further information, please call 508-627-8619.

Sue and Bill Prescott flew in from Huntington, California, this past weekend to hang out with son Nick and daughter-in-law, Melanie. Highlights of their stay included visits to both Nick’s office and his shop, truly getting a taste of how things are done Vineyard-style. I’m happy to say they did not freeze despite the change from their usual climate.

We saw our favorite Christmas elf, Kevin Searle, hard at work on his holiday display on his Chase Road lawn. I haven’t been by to see the result yet, but I expect nothing short of spectacular. So take a ride by and check it out, and lest you are blinded by the majesty, don’t forget to keep an eye on the road!

If you still need help getting into the spirit, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society will be hosting holiday movie classics on Wednesday nights all month long, December 5, 12, and 19 at 7:30 pm. So get your jingle on with help from the silver screen. For more information, call 508-696-9369.

The Sultans of Swing, featuring Joanne Cassidy and Erika Van Pelt of American Idol fame, will team up with Media Voices for Children for a holiday ball at Dreamland in Oak Bluffs, Friday, December 14, at 8 pm. The event’s proceeds will benefit Media Voices for Children, the Internet news agency for children’s rights, to further their work to raise public awareness and support programs that that impact poverty and globalization on the world’s children. For more information on the organization and some of their myriad accomplishments, visit mediavoicesforchildren.org or call 508-693-0752.

Happy birthday to Joel DeRoche, who celebrates December 7, to Polly Toomey on December 8, to Galen Brew on December 10, and to Cindy Andrews on December 12. Wishing a freezer filled with fresh venison for Joel, kiddy cuddles for Polly, puppy snuggles for Galen, and a pile of macaroni necklaces for Cindy in all the colors of the rainbow.